Women still lag significantly behind men at senior levels in the Civil Service, with just two female department general secretaries out of 15.
Figures from each department show women make up an average of less than 25 per cent of deputy or assistant secretaries while some 80 per cent of principal officers are male.
However, at assistant principal level approximately one in three officers is female. On the lower end of the grade scale, the overwhelming majority of clerical officers are female.
Green Party leader Trevor Sargent, who raised the issue in parliamentary questions, described the figures as "stark". The Dublin North TD, whose parliamentary party of six deputies is exclusively male, said moves on decentralisation would not help improve ratios.
"There is a lack of role models, which perpetuates the problem. If one is only aware of males being in a particular role it is very difficult to change that. It takes a female who is prepared to be a mould-breaker to put herself forward and an interview board that is open to the possibility of a mould breaker to change things."
The general secretaries of the departments of Transport and Education are women. In the Department of Education there are five male and one female assistant general secretaries and 24 male and 11 female principal officers, a ratio of 69 per cent to 31 per cent, which Minister for Education Mary Hanafin said exceeded targets.
Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said significant progress had been made in his department. At the key middle management grade of assistant principal officer the ratio was 51 per cent to 49 per cent, well above the 33 per cent target. Mr McDowell will shortly publish the national women's strategy, which will address the issue of women in decision making.
